Tennessee Comeback Vs Rutgers
Scarlet Knights Blow 23 Point Lead, Lose to Lady Vols
Bands ranging from Nine Inch Nails to Denver-area success Everything Absent or Distorted have written songs entitled "The Great Collapse."
Many women's basketball experts will say though that no song need be written about the downfall endured by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the hands of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
After jumping ahead by scores of 31-8 and a halftime mark of 33-13, the visiting Lady Vols came roaring back with 42 points in the second half and leaving Rutgers with their third loss on the year, 55-51. The win was the first for Tennessee's women's basketball program at Rutgers since 1988.
"A tale of two halves," was Tennessee coaching legend Pat Summit's analysis. "Last thing I told them coming out of the locker room - 'you do not want to go home with me tonight!' Rutgers made us speed up all of our action. We let our offense affect our defense. Board play was not what it needed to be. At halftime we regrouped and got things turned in a better direction by committing to our defense, our board play. I give this team a lot of credit."
First-half rebounding went 18-14 in favor of the Knights, then was slanted 22-9 in favor of the Vols after the half. The 42-18 Tennessee scoring advantage in the second half was due in large part to forward Shekinna Stricklen scoring 13 of her team-high 16 points, and guard Angie Bjorklund scoring all of her 12 points, including two clutch three-pointers.
"During halftime, we came in and said it doesn't matter how much we're down, it's a 0-0 game," Bjorklund remarked about the comeback. "We came out and I thought it was a completely different game after that. I think it's an eye-opener for us...that we need to learn how to start a lot better, especially in big games like this."
Scarlet Skid
The "big" game was only Rutgers' third loss on the year, but third to a ranked opponent, and not the way the Scarlet Knights hoped to end a six-game winning streak, nor a largely successful homestand before going on the road to begin Big East Conference play.
"We became afraid to lose," says Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. "We didn't understand the great benefit of playing to win. You can't be afraid to lose. You have to risk failure to achieve success."
Nine of game-high scorer Epiphanny Prince's 25 points came in the second half.
"I think in the second half, I was a little too relaxed and passive, instead of attacking the way I did in the first half," says Prince, her face and those of teammates filled with dejection. "I missed a lot of layups and open jump shots. I was just too passive."
"I think we took a step back," says Kia Vaughn on what the game means in the long run. "We got too relaxed with the lead."
As they approach a three-game road trip, the Knights will try to clear their heads of the Saturday debacle as they prepare for Syracuse on Tuesday, followed by Louisville and Villanova.
Whether a step was taken back, or a hard lesson learned, Stringer says improvements must be made, calling to mind that Prince's 25 points and Brittany Ray's 14 towered over the rest of the roster, as no one else scored more than four.
"That ball had been distributed well enough that there were shots that should have been taken," says Stringer. "Everybody on this team has a right to shoot it. The willingness of anybody to step up and score is the key. You've got to get yourself ready. You've got to be willing to win."
Rutgers will return home Sunday January 18th to play Marquette, hoping that this collapse is their only such one on the year.
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